Synopsis
In June 2013, Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her.
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Cast
- Edward SnowdenSelf
- Glenn GreenwaldSelf
- Laura PoitrasSelf
- William BinneySelf
- Barack ObamaSelf
- Jacob AppelbaumSelf
- Julian AssangeSelf
- Jeremy ScahillSelf
- Kevin BankstonSelf
- Ewen MacAskillSelf
Recommendations
- 100
The Guardian
Citizenfour is a gripping record of how our rulers are addicted to gaining more and more power and control over us – if we let them. - 100
Variety
Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways. - 100
Hitfix
CITIZENFOUR is an expertly crafted expose with unprecedented urgency. - 91
IndieWire
Poitras, an expert filmmaker as keyed into pace and mood as the topic they support, delivers a mesmerizing look at both how Snowden managed to release his information as well as why it all matters. - 90
The Hollywood Reporter
No matter one's personal stance about what Snowden did, this revelatory work is fascinating and thought-provoking, if, at the same time, oddly lacking in tension; unlike the provocations of Michael Moore or Oliver Stone, the temperature of this film is very cool. - 90
Salon
Citizenfour is both an urgent tale torn from recent headlines and a compelling work of cinema, with all the paranoid density and abrupt changes of scenery of a John le Carré novel. - 88
Slant Magazine
Laura Poitras teaches by example, providing a privileged insight into Edward Snowden's personality and motivation while keeping the focus on government spying. - 80
Time Out London
Citizenfour is at its most eye-opening and essential simply as a portrait of the then 29-year-old Snowden at a point of absolute no-return in his life as he spends almost a week hiding out in Hong Kong before disappearing into an entirely new existence.
